"In announcing its " Great Healthcare Plan " in January 2026, the Trump administration became the latest in a long history of efforts by the U.S. government to rein in the soaring cost of healthcare. As a physician and professor studying the intersection of business and health, I know that the challenges in reforming the sprawling U.S. healthcare system are immense. That's partly for political and even philosophical reasons."
"But it also reflects a complex system fraught with competing interests -and the fact that patients, hospitals, health insurance companies, and drug manufacturers change their behaviors in conflicting ways when faced with new rules. Soaring costs U.S. healthcare is the most expensive in the world, and according to a poll published in late January 2026, two-thirds of Americans are very worried about their ability to pay for it -whether it's their medications, a doctor's visit, health insurance or an unpredictably costly medical emergency."
Trump's "Great Healthcare Plan" announced January 2026 sets priorities to tackle prescription drug costs, price transparency, lower insurance premiums, and increase insurer accountability while offering no specific policy actions. The U.S. spends more on healthcare than any other country, and two-thirds of Americans reported strong worries about affording medications, doctor visits, insurance, or emergency care. Health-policy disputes contributed to the federal government shutdown in fall 2025. Reform faces political and philosophical barriers and complexity from competing interests. Patients, hospitals, insurers, and drug manufacturers alter their behaviors in conflicting ways when confronted with new rules, complicating efforts to control costs.
Read at Fast Company
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]